tara3056

1. I have searched the forums and even a couple French gov't websites, but I've been unable to find the specific dates for the Jan. sales... anyone know?

2. My husband and I plan on trying to stick to under $120ish US dollars for dinner... Will bistros in this price range fill up in advance or can I wait until we get there to make reservations?

3. We'll be there for 8 days. Would you recommend making the trek to Versailles (in January, mind you), or would you save it for next time?

Thanks so much for any advice you can offer!

francophile03

January sales are usually begin in the second week of the month.

Certainly you can eat at many bistros and restaurants below $120 total (I guess you meant that's for two). You don't need reservations for a bistro usually and only for restaurants if it's popular.

In eight days you can visit Versailles.

Scarlett

In January, you can see Versailles in the am and be back at your hotel for a late lunch. ( You take the RER to Versailles and walk a few blocks to Chateau..you can find a calender of events at www.chateauversailles.fr)

There are SO many bistros where you can have nice dinners.
Try the search box here on Fodors and see what you get with Cheap eats in Paris or budget eats..there have been quite a few discussions on the subject.

ira

Hi tara,

If you have found a place where you wish to have dinner, it's always a good idea to make a reservation that morning or afternoon.

Re Versailles: We prefer the gardens to the palace, but if you widh to see the palace Scarlett has good advice.

Have you considered Malmaison? See http://tinyurl.com/9nvvn

Christina

The official dates for the "soldes" is announced by the Economic/Finance Minister, and usually that isn't posted until very close to the start date. I checked the Finance Minister's web site and it hasn't been announced to the press yet, but I read one recent news article that one of the major advisors in the matter, the Ministre des PME (and it's a consensus reached by some govt. and trade people) has recommended that they begin on Wed., Jan 11th in 2006.

The official announcent is always in the "actualites" for the press (communiques et dossiers de presse) on www.finances.gouv.fr

If you are there in mid-January, you can assume they will be going on. I think it is safe to assume it will be around 1/11. They are allowed to run a maximum of 6 weeks (each department has its own dates), but in Paris I think they usually only run 4 weeks--they did last year.

JeanneB

Tara:

Where are you staying?

It sounds like we'll be arriving shortly after you leave: Jan 27th. (We'll be in Italy as of the 18th, so probably won't see your trip report til we get back.) We're staying at the Bonaparte (2nd visit) so I've got lots of restaurant notes for that area of the 6th.

Intex

On the same subject, when are the Summer sales, I tremember them in July, but someone has now told me June ??

serenahr

Hi, Any further information on the "soldes" start date would be appreciated -- my husband and I extended our annual trip through Jan. 7 this year to try to catch them, so I'm disappoined to hear that it sounds like we'll nevertheless miss them. Merci.

Christina

The summer sale dates are mainly the month of July, although they run into August in some areas. They do often start in the last week of June in many departments, including Paris. This is the announcement from 2005 with the summer sale dates by department
http://www.finances.gouv.fr/DGCCRF/0...te05.htm?ru=02

Dave_in_Paris

Restaurants that serve very good food at $120 for two usually are full. You should reserve. Most often, you can reserve at mid-day for that evening. Sometimes that may not be soon enough. The better you research, the better your meals are likely to be, and the more chance you may not get a last-minute seat.

Dave_in_Paris

Just to add. It's best to call for a restaurant reservation by noon, before the staff gets rushed. Early morning isn't likely to work at most places. There's no one there yet.

cigalechanta

As I wrote on another thread, the dates are now a yearly set date starting January 12 for six weeks.


http://www.istc.org/sisp/index.htm?f...event_id=45816

cocofromdijon

that's right mimi!

cigalechanta

Bonjour coco, We have snow here!!!!

cocofromdijon

here it is all gone now (lots of rain now but it is good for the drought we had this summer, the sheets of water are still too low)
bonne soirée! (time for pastis? ;-) )

susan_Carlux

Sales should start 12th January, and go for 4 weeks in Paris, longer outsdie Paris.

You should easily get bistro meals in that range.

tara3056

Darn. We'll be there Jan 6-13, leaving only the 12th if we wanted to venture out into the madness that I'm sure characterizes the first day of the soldes.

Thanks for the info on making reservations!

JeanneB: We'll be staying at the Relais-Bosquet in the 7th.

JeanneB

Darn, indeed. You're leaving too early. And we'll miss all the best bargains by getting there too late! C'est la vie.

You've picked a location which is awash with good restaurant choices. I can't access my restaurant list right now, but I know many of my searches turn up a location right around there. (My Word document is freezing up this morning...I'll have to do it from memory). I'll add more info if I can open the doc later.

Here are a few for you to research:

Fontaine de Mars 7th- open Sunday
---for the duck breast

Le Coupe Chou--5th
Maybe too $$$?
F'place--nice in Jan

La Varangue -- 7th, near E Tower
I wish I could open my notes on this one. There was a very interesting Fodor's thread on it...fairly recently. Search on "varangue". I plan to check this one out. If you do, send me an email if you can ([email protected])


Not too far...in the 6th near St. Sulpice/Odeon:

Le Bistrot d'Opio:
A fun little bistro (From St. Sulpice, go behind Cafe Marie, take the first right (rue guisarde). It's on the right, halfway down). They have an entree that involves skewers and various mustards---order it!
http://www.bistrot-opio.com/index_en.html

Bastide d'Odeon

Les Editeurs

Le Mediteranee...excellent
Right at Place d'Odeon, perhaps a little over your budget--can't remember what we paid, but it was WORTH IT!


If you're in the Marais at lunchtime, make your way to L'As du Falafel...Mmmm.

Christina

I didn't see Mimi's prior post on the source of that info, but that istc.org website isn't an official French website and I don't believe they are accurate, at least in that interpretation. That article doesn't exactly say that they are going to start Jan 12th every year. Perhaps it was confusing, but their point was that they claimed they were going to start on the same date everywhere in France, not that it would always be 1/12. Now, they did put 2006 at the top of the page and cited 1/12, but I think they may be recycling information or not understanding it. First, they said it was the same date everywhere in France since 1999, and I know that isn't true. In 2004, for example, they started on 1/7 in some departmentws and 1/8 in others. It also has not started on Jan 12th as it claims for at least several years before 2005 that I can remember.

I know the date isn't fixed as 1/12 because I have seen official, recent announcements by French officials debating when they should start, or discussing it. They wouldn't be doing that if it were fixed. That would be a pretty important announcement, also, and has not been announced in any mainstream French newspaper that I know of. This may seem weird (it did to me, at first), but the locals like some control of it, and there is some debate about the provinces wanting to get an advantage over Paris, and they like to set their dates earlier than Paris or something. I wouldn't have thought there was that much competition by area, but I know that's an issue. They did start on the same date in every dept. last year, so maybe they will this year, who knows.

In any case, it turns out the Prefecture of Paris just announced the winter sales yesterday officially (for Paris), and they are to begin January 11th this year, not the 12th, and go to Feb 21st. That is a longer time than usual for the winter sales to run in Paris, I believe. The individual prefectures determine them for their area. I know the Ministre des Petites et Moyenne Entreprises did advise them to start 1/11th, he liked that date, but it is not a national start date. You can find official public announcements within the last month saying that it is up to the individual prefectures (such as on www.service-public.fr, the official portal for French administration). THis is the URL if one reads French

http://www.service-public.fr/accueil...es_hiver06.htm

I don't think they would ever pick one particular date for them to start every year (even if standardized by department), because sometimes that would be a Sunday, for one thing. A lot of departments like them to start on Wednesday, for some reason, and the winter sales dates often start the second Wed. in January.

So, Tara actually may be able to do shopping on 1/11th in Paris, what luck! (but not for serenahr) I actually like to save my last date often for simple shopping and not major sightseeing. Of course, that beginning sales date may be a little hectic.

CatFancier

In some ways, Versailles may be better in the winter. The crowds SURELY can't be as bad as they were in September when we were there. It made it impossible to fully enjoy the interior of the main chateau. I'd really like to visit sometime without the wall-to-wall bodies!

If you go, be sure and venture out to the Grand and Petit Trianons. Even in September they weren't crowded. We enjoyed them so much, like miniature versions of the main chateau (minus all the people). Keep in mind that the beautiful gardens won't be so beautiful this time of year. All in all, it's certainly worth a visit....anytime!